Last year - according to the official figures - there were 129 murders recorded in Belize - a record number - which gave this small country the dubious distinction of having the sixth highest murder rate in the world.
But - cross your fingers - with two weeks left to go in 2011 - the murder figures are expected to be down significantly this year - thanks largely to the gang truce in early September.
Figures released by the police department show that up to the end of October, 2011 was outpacing 2010 in murders.
2011 had recorded 112 murders up to the end of October, compared to 106 in the previous year.
That disparity of six despite the fact that September 2011 recorded only seven murders, whereas September 2010 had recorded 19 murders.
Yet still even with that sharp September downturn, 2011 was on pace to outmatch 2010.
But November 2011 was the equalizer: this year, it recorded five murders, while in November 2010 there were thirteen murders.
And, so far for the first two weeks of December 2011, there have been two murders; while in the entire December 2010 - there were ten murders.
So, the total so far for 2011 is - unofficially - 119 murders - which, if the trend holds - will be down significantly from last year. Of course, December still has 17 days and nights to go, so let's all hope the peace holds.
Up to the end of October, 2011, robbery and burglary were two other major crimes that showed increases over 2010.
Channel 7